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 Ramblers 0-0 FC Carlow
What was it about last Saturday at St. Colman's Park that made spectating less accommodating than normal at the venue? The meagre attendance certainly did not help. Did the earlier than normal kick-off time have a bearing on that case scenario? Who knows! The weather was most definitely no help either. Or maybe it was down to the fixture itself, with both sides struggling for form at the wrong end of the table, both looking for the confidence booster of a win, the three points that might make realistic for Ramblers that continued chance of a fourth place finish. The opening of the transfer window was much speculated upon as to who might enlist to backbone the squad in terms of greater numbers and possible greater experience - that was outside of those we knew to be training all along in wait of that June 1st deadline. Both Jonathan Spillane (Everton Juniors) and Sean Daly (Cobh Wanderers' Seniors) were two players who belonged to that category.
As mentioned above both teams were in search of form and that search continued throughout a first-half that could best be described as cagey - nobody wanted to lose this one. The threat of rain in that opening half saw it fall at the commencement of the second. With it came a more open game in which the home side dominated, created a host of chances, but as with the Carrigaline Cup game, the composure is not yet there and opportunities that might require a cool head are invariably snatched at and missed.
In the very first attack of that second period in listing some of the chances that got away, Peter O'Halloran miscued his close-range shot from Stephen Bruton's corner. Mikey O'Shea, back from his shoulder injury, made a great diagonal run in off the left wing but his shot carried just over. Carlow had a Tomas Brennan header clear the crossbar in a display now more concentrated on defensive duties, with Mikey O'Shea doing all the spade work to release Shane Geasley on the right of the area. His low shot was saved, when maybe the option to have squared the ball might have reaped the ultimate benefit with Emmett O'Hanlon in wait. Another Geasley cross from the right on 67 minutes was cleared in desperation for a corner by a stretching Carlow defender, to stop it reaching a well positioned Emmett O'Hanlon inside the six yard box. It was Emmett who headed wide the subsequent corner from Stephen Bruton. Bruton then broke free on the left to cross on 77 minutes, the merest flick-on with his head by sub Sean Daly, found Peter O'Halloran at the back post but his shot sailed over. A little bit of wing trickery by Daly on the right saw him make space to cross, the ball eventually breaking free to Colin Kearney, but he just couldn't get his body over the ball and it too cleared the crossbar. A defensive clearance by Peter O'Halloran on 81 minutes saw Mikey O'Shea claim possession, pass it to Emmett O'Hanlon, who came inside to find a more central position for the shot, but the ball went over - just. A minute later the link-up between Bruton and O'Hanlon, saw the latter this time shave the wrong side of the post with his low shot. All that and possibly still time for a late and deserving winner, but it was Carlow after a defensive error on 85 minutes, that put sub Andrew Hickey in on goal with just Kevin McCarthy to beat. Fortunately his attempt to place his shot in the corner went outside the post, which definitely would have made a miserable enough evening seem much worse had it sneaked in.
Team: Kevin McCarthy, Kyle Downing, Anthony Flanagan, Danny Langford, Peter O'Halloran (Capt.), Jonathan Spillane, Thomas McGrath, Mikey O'Shea, Emmett O'Hanlon, Shane Geasley, Stephen Bruton.
Subs: Sean Daly - Spillane 75 minutes
Colin Kearney - McGrath 80 minutes
Shane Spillane - Bruton 83 minutes
Stephen Walsh
Alan Burns(GK)
Ref: Mr. Eddie McNally - Cork
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Next Senior Game
| Saturday 4th
Sept |
| St.Pat's |
| St.Colman's
Park 7.45pm |
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